Sports Wall of Fame inductees epitomize class

Olympic silver medal rower Darcy Marquardt is among the nine outstanding athletes, builders, coaches and officials who will be permanently inducted into the Richmond Sports Wall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 18 at Richmond City Hall.

Photo courtesy City of Richmond/Kevin Light Photography

Modesty defines each of the nine outstanding
local sports heroes who will be inducted Nov. 18 into the Richmond Sports Wall
of Fame.

“Sport is an important part of our community’s
heritage, as well as providing lifelong benefits to its participants and
inspiration for us all,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “It is an honour to
recognize each of this year’s inductees for their achievements and dedication
to their sport by having them inducted into the Richmond Sports Wall of Fame.”

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Champions in every sense of the word, the
athletes, builders, coaches and officials who make up the 2017 class have each
excelled in their respective category and sport.

The four athletes being inducted this year
have all consistently demonstrated humility while reaching the pinnacle of
their sport—Arjan Singh Bhullar, a gold medalist in men’s wrestling at the 2010
Commonwealth Games; Darcy Marquardt, an Olympic silver medalist in women’s
rowing in 2012; Brian Johns, a three-time Olympian and the most decorated
swimmer in Canadian university history; Jennifer Joyce, the 2006 Commonwealth
Games silver medalist in the women’s hammer throw; and Andrew Mavis, a member
of Canada’s 2000 Olympic men’s basketball team.

Equally dedicated to their sports were
builder Nancy Carey, who gave 30 years of service as a volunteer, administrator
and coach of girls’ field hockey; and official Kanwal Singh Neel, who is being
recognized for his outstanding contribution to amateur sport as an
international official in track and field.

Coaching inductees Glenn Kishi and Dr. Doug
Nielsen also epitomize the quality of inductee in this year’s class. Kishi
coached many sports at the high school and community levels, and guided many
teams to successful seasons including a pair of junior football provincial
championships. Nielsen was equally accomplished in his many seasons coaching
girls’ fastball.

This is the third year of inductions into the
Richmond Sports Wall of Fame, which was launched in 2015. There are presently
34 individuals and teams.

The wall honours individuals and teams who
have played significant roles in building Richmond’s sports community and/or
excelled at their sport.